In general, electric switches of this type for manually operated power tools and appliances, such as electric drills, cordless screwdrivers, hammer drills or the like, include, an electric circuit which can be switched by an activation element that is activated from outside, control and regulation of the rotational speed or torque of the motor. In general, rotary or slide potentiometers are used for this purpose. The use of a mechanical changeover device in addition to this rotational speed control is also known. This requires a high number of contact systems, which leads to a complex structure of the switch.